JP2002534332A - Small heat sealable bag dispenser and sealer - Google Patents

Abstract

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In a preferred embodiment, a housing (30, FIG. 1); an instrument (62, FIG. 1) disposed within the housing (30, FIG. 1) for selecting a desired bag length; A device (FIG. 4) arranged in a housing (30, FIG. 1) to deliver the desired bag length from a roll of bag material (36, FIG. 4); as the bag (50, FIG. 1) is delivered, the bag Mini dispenser and sealer (20, FIG. 1) for a heat sealable bag, including a device (220, FIG. 5) disposed in a housing (30, FIG. 1) for heat sealing the ends of the dispenser.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

【Technical field】

The present invention relates generally to bags, and more particularly, but not by way of limitation, to new and compact dispensers and sealers for bags formed of heat sealable materials.

[0002]

[Background Art]

Heat sealable bags are widely used for storing materials. These materials can range from foodstuffs to small parts. Known are manual heat-sealing devices for home use for storage of foodstuffs as well as manual heat-sealing used to form bags for storing small parts for bag selling. There is a device. In both cases, a bag of the desired length is first selected, having one sealed end and one open end, in which foodstuffs or small parts are stored, and then the bag is opened. The end is thrown into a heat sealer to form a sealed bag containing the material. The problem with such manual sealing devices is that heat seals are often inconsistent and inconsistent, and in some cases, how long heat must be applied to the seal. There are things to guess, and that the seal may not be parallel to the end of the bag.

In some cases, bag users have to stock many bags of different lengths, resulting in unnecessary cost and potential confusion, and selecting the wrong length bag. Waste will result.

[0004] Industrial machines for producing heat-sealed bags from rolls of tubular material are also known. These machines are typically large and heavy and are used primarily to form bags of a given length in long manufacturing operations. The length of bags produced is usually variable. However, such changes are time consuming and impractical for frequently changing bag lengths to be produced.

[0005] One problem common to conventional machines for cutting bag material is that the machines utilize hot-wire cuts that produce undesirable smoke and odor.

[0006] One problem common to conventional automatic heat sealing machines is that the heat seal element is difficult to replace when seized.

[0007] It would be desirable to have a compact, operator controllable bag making machine for producing bags of different lengths and widths without complicated and time consuming machine modifications.

[0008] Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a small and portable bag making machine.

It is a further object of the present invention to enable the operator of the bag making machine to individually control the length (and, if desired, the width) of each bag so that such control can be performed almost instantaneously. Such a bag manufacturing machine is provided.

[0010] It is an additional object of the present invention to provide a bag making machine that produces bags that are aligned with the ends of the bags and that have a consistent seal.

It is another object of the present invention to provide such a machine for removing hot wire cutting of material.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a machine in which the heat sealing element can be changed quickly.

It is a further additional object of the present invention to provide a machine that is economical to manufacture and easy to use.

[0014] Other objects of the present invention and specific features, elements and advantages thereof will be elucidated in and will be apparent from the following description and drawings in the accompanying drawings.

[0015]

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed, inter alia, in a preferred embodiment, to a housing, means disposed within the housing for selecting a desired bag length, and the housing for delivering the desired bag length from a roll of heat sealable bag material. The above object by providing a miniature dispenser and sealer for a heat-sealed bag, comprising: means disposed within, and means disposed within said housing for heat sealing the end of said bag. To achieve.

The present invention and its various aspects may be more readily understood by reference to the figures in the accompanying drawings, which are provided by way of example only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.

[0017]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Here, consistent identification numbers are assigned to similar or identical elements throughout the various drawings, and the reader is referred to one or more of the described elements by reference in parentheses to the drawing numbers. Please refer to the numbers in the figures which are adapted to lead to the figure (although the elements are also found in other figures).

FIG. 1 illustrates a dispenser and sealer for a heat-sealed bag, which is manufactured according to the present invention and is generally indicated by reference numeral 20.

The machine 20 includes a housing 30 having mounted therein a horizontal refill roll shaft 32 having a supply roll 34 containing a continuous tubular heat seal material 36 rotatably mounted thereon. I have. Flexible drag strap 40
Has a proximal end 42 rotatably mounted on a portion of the housing 30 and the distal end of the strap in a manner such that the strap acts as a drag to prevent unwanted rotation of the supply roll 34. It is placed over the entire material 36 with a weight attached to the part (not shown in FIG. 1).

As described in further detail below, a machine 20 is provided for automatically dispensing a selected length of bag 50 from a supply roll 34 and heat sealing one end of the bag. At this time, the bag 50 can be manually removed from the machine 20 and small parts, for example, can be stored in the bag through its open end, and then the open end of the bag is inserted back into the machine. Heat seal the open end.

The machine 20 includes a plurality of push buttons 60 for inputting the thickness of the heat-sealable material 36, the thickness setting being longer for thicker materials than for thinner materials. Since the heat sealing time is required, it serves as an input to the heat sealing control device. The machine 20 includes a plurality of push buttons 62 for selecting the length of the bag 50, a plurality of push buttons 64 for selecting the roll to which the bag 50 is to be delivered when more than one roll is provided, It also includes a START push button 66 to start the sealing operation, a FEED push button 68 to which the bag 50 is fed out as long as it is kept pressed, and a SEAL push button to start the sealing process. Complementing the main elements of the machine 20 seen in FIG. 1, a power switch 80, a lower guide 82, a removable or hinged cover 84 and a cover 2 configured in the cover to view machine operation. Two openings 86 and 88 are provided.

FIG. 2 illustrates the machine 20 and the same elements as shown and described with reference to FIG. However, in this case, the second supply roll 100 is rotatably mounted on the supply roll shaft 32 and the proximal end 1 of the strap 112
A flexible drag strap 1 similar in shape and function to the drag strap 40 with the 14 rotatably mounted on a portion of the housing 30.
12 contains a continuous tubular heat sealable material 110 disposed thereon. 2
It will be noted that material 36 is wider than material 110 so that bags with a selected one of the two different widths can be delivered. Within the limits of the machine 20, any number of supply rolls can be mounted on the supply roll shaft 32.

A push button 64 is used to select which of the supply rolls 34 or 100 will deliver the heat-sealable bag, which is an electromechanical clutch / disengagement associated with the supply roll shaft 32. Like a mechanism (not shown)
It can be used to control any suitable electromechanical means for selecting from which roll the heat seal material should be delivered.

Here, the main internal components of the machine 20 (shown in its non-delivery position in FIG. 3)
For a general understanding of the arrangement of FIG. 1), reference should be made to FIG. The major internal components of the machine 20 include a generally flat, horizontal base plate 150 and first and second generally flat, vertical side plates, designated 152 and 154, respectively, secured thereto. Contains. The first and second side plates 152 and 154 are located inside the vertical sides of the housing 30 of the machine 20 (FIG. 1). The supply roll shaft 32 is journalled in a rotatable manner in upwardly open U-shaped first and second bearing members 160 and 162 secured to first and second side plates 152 and 154, respectively. Is fastened. The supply roll 34 is shown on the replenishment roll shaft 32 and is provided with a releasable clamp 17.
It is held at a predetermined position using 0.

The first and second pivot arm assemblies 180 and 182 each include a first
And pivotally mounted to side plates 152 and 154 using a horizontal pivot arm assembly shaft 184 extending between the second side plates.

A bag drive motor output pulley 190 and a bag drive roller pulley 192 extend outward from the second side plate 154, and the bag drive motor output pulley
A bag drive roller pulley is driven using a continuous belt (not shown in FIG. 3) extending therebetween. The bag drive roller pulley includes first and second side plates 152.
And 154, the rotation of the bag drive roller shaft rotating the bag drive roller 202 fixedly mounted on the bag drive roller shaft 200. The bag pinch roller 210 is generally a bag drive roller 202 on a bag drive roller shaft 212.
Mounted above, its ends are rotatably mounted in first and second pivot arm assemblies 180 and 182.

The heater assembly 220 includes first and second heaters near an inner end of the lower guide 82.
Horizontally positioned between the side plates 152 and 154, while the horizontal cut assembly 222 is positioned inwardly from the heater assembly and extends therebetween, with respect to the first and second pivot arm assemblies 180 and 182. It is mounted in a rotatable form. First and second pivot arm assembly springs 23
0 and 232 are fixedly mounted between the first and second side plates 152 and 154 and have a horizontal spring shaft 234 extending therebetween;
Fixedly attached to the front portions of the pivot arm assemblies 180 and 182 and extends between spring return shafts 236 extending therebetween.

FIG. 4 illustrates the internal components of machine 20 (FIG. 1) as if second side plate 182 had been removed. Although the second pivot arm assembly 182 is shown in FIG. 4, it will also be appreciated that the same first pivot arm assembly 180 is located behind the second pivot arm assembly. . The second pivot arm assembly 182, when in its undelivered or cut position, is shown in solid lines and transfers material 36 to form bag 50 on machine 2.
It is indicated by a dashed line when it is in its delivery position where it can be delivered by 0.

First of all, the distal end 240 of the drag strap 40 is provided with a weight 242, fixedly attached thereto, and the drag strap is adapted to reduce the material 36 as the diameter of the material roll decreases. It can be understood that the engagement is continued. This arrangement is simple and keeps the drag on the roll of material 36 fairly uniform.

The material 36 is replenished from the bottom of the supply roll 34 while the supply roll is being pulled clockwise as shown in FIG. Material 36 is then applied to idler roller 26 positioned between first and second side plates 152 and 154.
0, along the plate 262 fixedly attached to these side plates, passes through the cutter assembly 222 to the heater assembly 220 and exits the machine 20 between the lower guide 82 and the upper guide 264. Thus, a heat sealable bag 50 is obtained.

Operation of the machine 20 (FIG. 1) is initiated by depressing the START push button 66 after selection of length and thickness (and rolls if multiple rolls are provided). Thus, the following procedure starts. The motive force for moving material 36 along the path described above supplies power to solenoid 280 centered between pivot arm assemblies 180 and 182 on the first and second sides, causing solenoid core 282 to face downward. And a downward pull on a first link 284, also rotatably mounted at its lower end relative to the distal end of the solenoid core. The upper end of the first link 282 is rotatably mounted on the second link 284, the latter movement of which comprises a shaft 286 fixedly disposed between the first and second side plates 152 and 154. Figure 4 around
Rotate this second link counterclockwise as seen in FIG. This movement pulls downwardly a rod 290, which is fixedly disposed between the first and second pivot arm assemblies 180 and 182 and engages the lower surface of the second link 284,
This rotates clockwise around pivot arm assembly shaft 184 to the position shown by the dashed line as seen in FIG. The pivoting of the first and second pivot arm assemblies 180 and 182 raises a cutter assembly 222 fixedly attached to the first and second pivot arm assemblies to allow material 36 to pass thereunder. The bag pinch roller 210 is lowered to create a roll gap between the bag pinch roller and the bag drive roller. Here, when drive motor output pulley 190 is rotated in a counterclockwise direction by a motor tied to gearbox 310 mounted on adjustment plate 312, continuous belt 314 is driven by bag drive roller pulley 192 and bag. Turning the drive roller counterclockwise will pull the material 36 to the left as seen in FIG.

When the desired length of the bag 50 has been delivered, the drive motor output pulley 190
Stops rotating and power is removed from solenoid 280. The solenoid is the first
And the second pivot arm assembly springs 230 and 232 rotate the first and second pivot arm assemblies 180 and 182 counterclockwise about the pivot arm assembly shaft 184 as seen in FIG. Lower the cutter assembly 222 so that the lower knife assembly 33
It slides along zero, thereby shearing the material 36.

Before the material 36 is cut to the desired length, the power applied to the heater seal bar drive 340 causes the continuous belt 342 to rotate the first cam assembly 344, and thus will be described below. The bag sealing operation is started.

FIG. 5 illustrates the heater assembly 220. The heater assembly 220 has a first cam assembly 344 rotatably mounted on the first and second side plates 152 and 154 and fixedly mounted on a cam assembly shaft 360 extending therebetween. Contains. The cam assembly 344
Adjacent to the first side plate 152, a second similar cam assembly is disposed adjacent to the second side plate 154. A cam assembly 344 is provided to drive the elongated horizontal heater seal bar 370 downward while biased upward by a spring 372 to press the end of the bag 50 against the heater bar 374. The heater bar 374 provides a patterned pattern of Teflon to provide a complementary shape pattern to the sealed area of the bag 50 in a manner that does not fall off the machine 20 after the sealing and cutting operation. It has a top surface covered with tape. This Teflon tape also protects the heater bar 374. Heater bar 374 is located within heater bar block 380, which is described in more detail below.

As noted above, heat is applied for a time sufficient to seal bag 50,
This time depends on the thickness of the material 36, with thicker materials having a longer sealing time than thinner materials. After the heat is applied, the heat-sealable bag 50 is briefly left in place against the upper surface of the sealed area of the bag 50 to allow some cooling. After the cooling period, the heat sealable bag is lifted and the bag 50 can be manually removed from the machine 20. Next, for example, the part can be placed in the bag 50 and the cutter assembly in the machine 20 between the upper outlet guide 264 and the lower outlet guide 82 in its lowered position when the material 36 is not being delivered. Insert the open end of the bag with the upper end of the bag facing
The push button 70 (FIG. 1) is depressed to start the sealing operation and seal this open end. Alternatively, a footswitch (not shown in FIG. 5) can initiate the second sealing phase, leaving the operator's hands free. In this case, having a stopper for the open end of the bag 50, which is the cutter assembly 222, ensures that the ends of the bag of the second seal are parallel. The "stop" is about one-half inch from the portion of the bag to be sealed. Bag 50 in machine 20
Is facilitated by the upper and lower guides 264 and 82.

FIG. 5 also illustrates the cutter assembly 222. Cutter assembly 2
22 includes a generally vertical upper knife to which the upper knife guide 402 is fixedly mounted. The upper knife guide 402 is narrow and is located at the end of the upper knife 400 adjacent to the first side plate 152. As the outer surface of the upper knife guide 402 moves up and down, the cutter assembly 222
On a roller 410 that is rotatably mounted on the first side plate 152 to guide

FIG. 6 illustrates cutter assembly 222 and lower knife assembly 330, after cutter assembly 222 cuts material 36 (not shown in FIG. 6), from its raised position for delivery (solid line) to its lowered position. The function of the roller 410 accompanying the movement to (broken line) is shown. Because the cutter assembly 222 is fixedly attached to the first and second pivot arm assemblies 180 and 182, the cutter assembly rotates as the pivot arm assembly rotates. Cutting of the material 36 is performed by the lower edge of the upper knife 400 fixedly mounted on the lower knife mounting block 422 and sliding against the front edge of the lower knife 420 extending along the upper knife. The mounting block 422 includes a shaft 430 extending between the first and second side plates 152 and 154.
It is mounted in a swivel-up manner and is arranged to move axially in a plunger mounting block 434 fixedly mounted on the first side plate 152 forward, ie towards the upper knife 400. Is biased using the spring-type plunger 432.

FIG. 7 illustrates an upper knife 400, the cutting edge 440 of which extends from the end of the upper knife adjacent to the first pivot arm assembly 180 to the upper knife adjacent to the second pivot arm assembly 182. This indicates that the end is tapered upward. FIG. 7 also more clearly shows the upper knife guide 402 fixedly attached to the front surface of the upper knife 400.

FIG. 8 illustrates a heater bar block 380, wherein the heater bar block has a heater bar 374 located along its upper surface, and the same spare heater located along its lower surface. It has a bar 450. The present invention addresses the difficulties associated with replacing a baked heater bar by providing a heater bar block 380 having dual elements. Power is supplied to the heater bar 374 through wires 460 and 462 operatively connected to a receptacle block 464 fixedly attached to the first side plate 152. When the heater bar 374 is seized, the mounting screws 470 and 472 are attached.
Is removed and the receptacle block 46 is removed by removing the heater bar block through an opening 480 configured through the second side plate 154.
4, the heater bar block 380 is extracted. Next, the heater bar block 380 is rotated by 180 degrees with respect to its main axis, and then reversed, and the opening 48 is opened.
0, re-insert it into the receptacle block 464, and re-attach the mounting screws 470 and 472. Here, the heater bar 450 is on the upper surface of the heater bar block 374 and receives power supply through wires 490 and 492.

As can be seen in FIG. 8, the heater bars 374 and 450 are supported and mounted at their left ends by fixed support blocks 494,
At the right end, it is supported and attached to a sliding support block 496. To accommodate the expansion and contraction of the heater bars 374 and 450 as they heat and cool, a biasing spring 498 is provided between the sliding support block 496 and the fixed block 499 to maintain tension on the heater bar. Have been.

FIG. 9 illustrates a control system for machine 20 (FIG. 1), which is generally designated by the reference numeral 500. The control system 500 includes a microcontroller 510, preferably located within the housing 30. The microcontroller 510 may initiate the selected material thickness, selected bag length, selected supply roll, START, and bag delivery and / or seal the open end of the bag. Receives an input, such as an input from a footswitch 520, which may be provided to provide a signal of The selection input is
It may be provided using a selected one of the push buttons 60, 62, 64, 66 and 70 (FIG. 1). Microcontroller 510 provides output to the roll selection mechanism, solenoid, drive motor and heater. A 530, such as a remote controller or computer, can be provided operatively connected to the microcontroller 510 to control certain functions of the machine 20 and / or monitor operation of the machine 20.

Machine 20 offers several advantages over conventional means for forming bags of various lengths and widths. First of all, the machine 20 is of "desktop" size, is relatively lightweight and very portable. The housing 30 is approximately the size of a conventional typewriter, and the machine 20 weighs less than about 50 pounds.

Knife cutting removes unwanted smoke and odor producing heat rays that are typically used to cut bag material.

Since the length and width can be selected for each bag, the operator can individually control the length (and width if desired) of each bag. If the materials on different rolls have different thicknesses, the thickness can also be one selected parameter.

The machine 20 produces bags with a consistent and parallel seal at the ends of the bags.
Preselecting the heating time facilitates uniform sealing.

The machine 20 can use any heat seal material. the material is,
It may be transparent, opaque, colored, preprinted, antistatic, or any combination thereof, for example. The print may be applied on the bag as it is delivered.

The heating elements in machine 20 are easily and quickly replaceable.

In the embodiments of the invention described above, the individual elements and / or features are not necessarily limited to one particular embodiment, but are compatible and applicable where applicable. May be used in any selected embodiment, even though it may not be specifically indicated.

Terms such as “upper,” “lower,” “inward,” “outward,” “inward,” “outward,” and the like, as used herein, are illustrated in the figures of the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not necessarily limited to such positions.

Thus, of the objects elucidated or clarified in the above description, the objects set forth above can be efficiently achieved, without departing from the scope of the present invention. Everything included in the above description or shown in the drawings of the accompanying drawings has no restrictive meaning and is merely exemplary, as some changes can be made to the configuration of It is intended to be interpreted as

The opening claims set forth all of the general and specific features of the invention described herein, as well as all statements regarding the scope of the invention that may be addressed as a matter of language. It should also be understood that they are intended to cover

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a dispenser and sealer for a heat sealable bag with one roll of tubular heat seal material installed therein.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a dispenser and sealer for a heat sealable bag with two rolls of tubular heat seal material installed therein.

FIG. 3 shows the main internal components of the dispenser and sealer for the heat-sealable bag,
FIG. 4 is a top plan view in a partially cutaway and partially sectional view.

FIG. 4 shows the main internal components of the dispenser and sealer for the heat-sealable bag,
It is a side view which is a partial cutaway view and a partial sectional view.

FIG. 5 is a side view of a cutter and heater assembly for a dispenser and sealer for a heat sealable bag.

FIG. 6 is a partial side view of a cutter and lower knife assembly for a dispenser and sealer for a heat sealable bag.

FIG. 7 is a front view of an upper knife for a dispenser and sealer for a heat sealable bag.

FIG. 8 is a partially cutaway and partially cross-sectional front view of a dual element heater bar block of a dispenser and sealer for a heat sealable bag.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram of a control system for use in a heat sealable bag dispenser and sealer.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 20 small dispenser and sealer for heat sealable bag 30 housing 36 material roll for heat sealable bag 50 bag 62 push button 220 heater assembly

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of front page (81) Designated country EP (AT, BE, CH, CY, DE, DK, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, IE, IT, LU, MC, NL, PT, SE ), OA (BF, BJ, CF, CG, CI, CM, GA, GN, GW, ML, MR, NE, SN, TD, TG), AP (GH, GM, KE, LS, MW, SD, SL, SZ, TZ, UG, ZW), EA (AM, AZ, BY, KG, KZ, MD, RU, TJ, TM), AE, AL, AM, AT, AU, AZ, BA, BB, BG, BR, BY, CA, CH, CN, CR, CU, CZ, DE, DK, DM, EE, ES, FI, GB, GD, GE, GH, GM, HR, HU, ID , IL, IN, IS, JP, KE, KG, KP, KR, KZ, LC, LK, LR, LS, LT, LU, LV, MA, MD, MG, MK, MN, MW, MX, NO, NZ, PL, PT, RO, RU, SD, SE, SG, SI, SK, SL, TJ, TM, TR, TT, TZ, UA, UG, US, UZ, VN, YU, ZA, ZW (72 ) Inventor Barker Donald, Connecticut, United States 06482 Sandy Hook Mountain Laurel Lane 8 (72) Inventor Herbert Robert Jay. United States Connecticut 06488 Southbury Amos White Road 125 F-term (reference) 3E057 AA01 AB06 BA02 BA03 BA05 BB01 BB04

Claims (7)

[Claims] (B) means disposed within said housing for selecting a desired bag length; and (c) said means for delivering said desired bag length from a roll of heat sealable bag material. Means disposed within the housing; and (d) means disposed within the housing for heat sealing the end of the bag as the bag is dispensed. And sealers. 2. The mini-dispenser and sealer for heat-sealable bags of claim 1, wherein the selected length is generated by cutting the heat-sealable material with a knife blade. 3. The mini-dispenser and sealer for a heat-sealable bag of claim 1, further comprising means disposed within said housing for selecting a desired bag width. 4. The mini-dispenser and sealer for a heat-sealable bag of claim 1, further comprising means disposed within said housing for selecting a desired thickness of bag material. 5. The heat-sealing means includes a first heating element disposed in a heating element block that also houses a spare second heating element, wherein the second heating element includes the first heating element. The miniature dispenser and sealer for a heat sealable bag according to claim 1, wherein the miniature dispenser and the sealer for a heat sealable bag can be used by changing the position of the heating element block in the miniature dispenser and sealer for the heat sealable bag. 6. The miniature dispenser and sealer for a heat sealable bag further comprising an external footswitch connected to provide control input to the miniature dispenser and the sealer for the heat sealable bag. 7. A small dispenser and sealer for a heat sealable bag that is portable, weighs less than about 50 pounds, and has about the same size as a standard typewriter.